HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The six candidates vying for two seats on the Huntsville school board got one more chance Thursday night to convince an audience that they are the right people for the job.

About two dozen people turned out at Butler High School for a forum sponsored by the Huntsville Council of PTAs. All of the candidates - Reggie Hill, Pat King, Laurie McCaulley and Gwen Ragland for District 1 and Mike Culbreath and Carlos Mathews for District 5 - told those present a bit about themselves and then answered questions posed by a panel of three moderators.

One question asked the candidates what their top priorities would be if elected.

Ragland, who appeared to be falling asleep in her chair at the dais and had to ask multiple times for questions to be repeated before she could answer them, said her top priority would be to address and improve students' reading abilities.

"If you can't read, you can't do anything," said Ragland, a retired Huntsville teacher.

She said she would also like to reintroduce phonics to the curriculum and remove calculators so students can "use their brains."

McCaulley, the incumbent for District 1, said her top priorities would be to make curriculum consistent across the district and to continue improving the school facilities.

"My top priority will be to work with the board and Dr. (Casey) Wardynski," said King, a quality engineer with the U.S. Army. "My second priority would be the graduation rate."

Culbreath, a developer and former police officer, said one of his priorities would be to show that "minimum is not our standard."

"To be honest, I'm embarrassed that for the past several years, we've strived for the minimum," Culbreath said. "That is embarrassing to me."

Mathews, a software engineer, said one of his priorities would be to put more counseling in the schools that would keep students on the right track. Another would be to give teachers more professional development and support.

"I would like to see our new teachers have a mentoring program with our veteran teachers during summer school," Mathews said.

Hill, a substitute teacher, didn't directly answer the question but talked about his "Seven Initiatives" that he plans to implement if elected. Some of the initiatives call for more field trips as learning tools for students, starting students earlier on training for graduation and ACT exams and working to stop teen pregnancy. He also wants to promote faith in God in students, and call upon everyone from local officials to entertainers to sponsor social functions that could serve as fundraisers for the schools.

Another question asked how each candidate would handle the time it takes to be a school board member.

"Considering I already do, it's very time consuming, but very rewarding," McCaulley said. "You are not just a school board member when you are behind that desk. You are that board member 24-seven."

Ragland said she knew what she was getting into when she qualified for the race. "I would handle it because I have asked for the responsibility of representing District 1," Ragland said.

Other District 1 candidates agreed that they would do what they had to do to serve. Hill cited his "great organizational skills" and said he knows it would taking putting others before himself to be successful.

King said she and her husband, an assistant principal in the Huntsville school district, are used to the phone ringing at all hours.

"I have the time and the dedication to serve each school and to serve each child," King said.

The District 5 candidates, who seek to replace Alta Morrison, who is not running for re-election, agreed. Mathews said he lives close to several of the schools in his district and already does everything he can to serve at each.